Apple pushed out a minor update for its iOS software this week - but there are already reports of it causing problems.

Users have been posting on the official Apple Support forum, as well as other technology blogs, complaining that the iOS 7.1.1 update has ‘bricked’ their phone - a term used to describe a phone that won’t switch on.

Many have had to resort to a complete restore and have consequently lost all their pictures, apps and other personal data.

Apple pushed out its iOS 7.1.1 software this week - but there are already reports of it causing problems. Users have been posting on the official Apple Support forum complaining that the update has 'bricked' their phone - a term used to describe a phone that won't switch on

HOW TO UPDATE AN IOS DEVICE

When updating an iOS device there are
two options – over the air, or via iTunes.

When using OTA, the phone has
to be plugged into a charger.

Before any update, Apple advises users
to backup their devices to iCloud or iTunes.

Users must also make sure they have
enough storage space to accommodate the update.

If there isn't enough space, users can either use iTunes to update the phone, or remove content in Usage settings.

Go to Settings, General and Software Update and click Download and Install.

When updating over iTunes, users must be running the latest version of the software.

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

When updating an iOS device there are two options – over the air, or via iTunes. When using OTA, the phone has to be plugged into a charger.

It appears the update works correctly when using iTunes.

The problems also appear to have affected a range of models, including the iPhone 4S, iPhone, iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S, when using the wireless option.

Apple forum user Brandtley said: ‘I was installing the update and now I am stuck in recovery mode. Have to restore device.’

Alexrest added: ‘I'm also stuck in recovery mode after updating my iPhone 4s to 7.1.1’ followed by E.C.H who wrote: ‘First time it bricked my phone going from 7.1 to 7.1.1 on my iPhone 5.’

However, the reports seem to be coming from a minority, as other users replied saying the update worked fine on their device.

There is also a distinction between 'bricked' devices which are typically not salvageable, and those which are in recovery mode and can be fixed via a reset.

The majority of complaints relate to the latter, despite claiming the former.

The 7.1.1 update is a relatively minor release compared to the previous 7.1 roll-out. It was issued to improve battery life, fix bugs and update the software’s security.

According to the initial reports, the majority of the problems occurred when trying to update the devices using Wi-Fi, also known as Over-The-Air (OTA) updates. However, a number of customers have now reported having the same issue when updating using a cable and iTunes

The 7.1.1 update is a relatively minor update compared to the previous 7.1 release. It was issued to improve battery life, fix bugs and update the software's security as well as resolve a 'fade' problem with the TouchID fingerprint recognition on the iPhone 5S. This problem caused scans to intermittently fail

Elsewhere, the TouchID fingerprint recognition on the iPhone 5S has been patched as part of 7.1.1 to fix a 'fade' issue that caused scans to fail intermittently.

It was also designed to sort out a bug that interfered with the responsiveness of the keyboard across older devices.